Prize figures, Japanese-language card boxes and stationery bought through a proxy, then sold on Whatnot shows and eBay listings from one desk at home.
Built forYou buy from Japanese marketplaces through a proxy service, receive one or two consolidated packages a month, and sell 30 to 80 orders a week through Whatnot shows and eBay listings.
Kit total
$447 to $839
Running cost
$206 to $345 a month
Consumables at 55 orders a week
- Orders a week
- 30–80
- Space
- Spare bedroom
- Budget
- $750
Why this setup
You buy from Japanese marketplaces through a proxy service, receive one or two consolidated packages a month, and sell 30 to 80 orders a week through Whatnot shows and eBay listings.
Work out your profit before anything reaches the US. Every item costs you Japanese domestic shipping, proxy fees, international shipping, any customs duty and the carrier's brokerage fee. Start with a landed-cost sheet and buy the scale and shelves after it.
You use the room for two jobs. You sort arrivals by line onto shelves and into tubs with SKU stickers, then film the Whatnot show under the overhead arm and softboxes on the same desk where you pack the eBay orders.
The kit
Every item, why it’s here and what it typically costs in the US.
MUNBYN thermal label printer
It takes the standard 4 × 6 inch labels that eBay, Poshmark, Mercari and Whatnot all generate, and generic labels work, so the running cost stays low.
Typical price$60 to $100
See on Amazon
66 lb digital shipping scale
Covers the packages most home sellers ship, up to 66 lb. Choose it when the 110 lb scale is out of stock.
Typical price$20 to $35
See on Amazon5-tier steel shelving, 72 in×2
Floor space runs out first, so build up instead. Number the shelves and give each item an address you can pick from.
Typical price$80 to $180
See on AmazonClear stackable 32 qt bins, 4 pack×2
Mark each bin with a shelf code and record the code against the listing. When an item sells, the code in the listing tells you which bin to open.
Typical price$60 to $110
See on AmazonTape gun dispenser
Once you ship more than a handful of boxes a week, a tape gun saves minutes on every session and stops tape ends sticking to themselves.
Typical price$10 to $20
See on Amazon60-inch phone tripod with remote
Clothing and sneaker shows need a full-body or full-shoe shot from the front. A tripod gets the phone to eye level and the remote starts recording from across the room.
Typical price$15 to $35
See on Amazon
Buy this kit
Copy the full list to take shopping, or print it.
Shipping per order
What most orders like these ship by, at today’s published rates. Rates checked October 7, 2026.
USPS Ground Advantage, under 1 lbUsual$6.93 to $8.95
TrackedUp to 1 lbClothing, cards in a mailer and other small items under 1 lb. Tracked, with $100 insurance included.
- eBay Standard Envelope
$0.82 to $1.40
TrackedUp to 3 ozTracked letter for eBay cards and flat items selling under $20, up to 3 oz.
- USPS Ground Advantage, 1 to 2 lb
$7.61 to $13.42
TrackedUp to 2 lbShoes, jeans and boxed items up to 2 lb, tracked with $100 insurance.
About $1,652 to $2,133 a month in shipping at 55 orders a week On most marketplaces the buyer pays shipping; this is the cost when you pay it.
How to lay it out
Where everything goes, so each order moves one way through the room.
- 1
Arrivals shelf by the door
Hold one shelf empty for the next proxy package. Unbox, check and sticker every item there before it moves to stock.
- 2
Stock shelves by line
Keep boxed prize figures on the lower shelves, sealed card boxes in tubs at eye height and stationery in shallow tubs on top.
- 3
Show desk under the window
Clamp the overhead arm to the back edge, with softboxes either side and a tripod for a second angle on boxes.
- 4
Packing end of the same desk
Keep small boxes, padded envelopes and the label printer at the far end, so you pack a show winner without moving rooms.
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
The landed-cost sheet
One row per item: Japanese price in yen, your exchange rate, the proxy fee, a share of domestic and international shipping, and a share of any duty and brokerage. Divide shared costs by item value, not by item count.
Set the lowest price you will take on eBay from that row, and the starting bid you can live with on Whatnot.
Unboxing a proxy package
Film the unboxing with the shipping label in shot. If something arrives broken or fake, that video supports your claim with the proxy.
Check each item against the proxy's photo, sticker it with a SKU and log the cost before it goes on a shelf.
Running a Japan-themed Whatnot show
Lead with sealed Japanese booster packs, opened live on the overhead camera so viewers read each pull. Then hold figures up to the tripod camera to show the box art.
Say JP for every card product. Whatnot viewers who collect English sets need to know what they're bidding on.
Packing figures and card boxes
Figure boxes are part of the value, so wrap them in bubble wrap and ship them in a box with space on every side. A crushed corner can halve the price.
Pack sealed card boxes in a small shipping box with padding. Single cards follow your usual card packing in a padded envelope.
Spotting fakes before they sell
Keep a reference folder of genuine box photos for every line you stock. Compare logos, license stickers, barcode placement and print sharpness.
If a piece fails the check, don't list it. Selling counterfeits breaks trademark law and both platforms' rules, and a single report can end your account.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- Ordering on the yen price alone and finding the margin gone once duty and the brokerage fee land.
- Consolidating months of buying into one high-value package without working out the duty first.
- Leaving JP out of the title and taking returns from buyers who expected English cards.
- Shipping a boxed figure in a padded envelope and losing half its value to a crushed corner.
- Throwing away the proxy's invoice, which you need for your costs and any customs query.
When to upgrade
Past 50 orders a week, an inventory app saves you counting tubs before each show. At 80 a week, a thermal label printer clears the post-show batch faster.
- 50+ Sortly
- 80+ Zebra ZD421d
Questions
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Do I pay duty on proxy packages?
The US ended the duty-free treatment of low-value packages in 2025, so imports from Japan can now carry duty whatever their value, usually collected by the carrier with a brokerage fee. Rates and rules have changed often, so check CBP's current guidance before each big order.
Should I consolidate everything into one big package?
It cuts international shipping per item, and you pay one brokerage fee instead of several. A large package also means one large duty bill on delivery. Work out both options on your landed-cost sheet before you ask the proxy to ship.
How do I label Japanese cards on eBay?
Put Japanese or JP in the title and say the text is Japanese in the description and item specifics. Buyers who expect English cards open returns as not as described otherwise.
Are prize figures from Japan genuine?
Prize figures from arcade crane games are licensed and sold widely, but fakes copy the popular ones. Check the box print, the license sticker and the sculpt against a trusted shop's photos, and buy from proxy sellers with long feedback.
Can I sell Japanese snacks I import too?
Imported food brings FDA labeling rules, prior notice for shipments and state rules on storing food, so most import resellers leave it to specialists. Stick to cards, figures and stationery unless you're ready for that.
Do I owe tax on import reselling?
Profit from reselling is taxable income, reported on Schedule C if you run it as a business. Keep proxy invoices, duty and brokerage receipts, since they are costs against your profit. For your own situation, check with a CPA or enrolled agent.
More setups
Updated October 6, 2026
